Velazquez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Velazquez is 2-for-21 in his past seven games and will head to the bench for the second time in Kansas City's past three contests. Adam Frazier is batting sixth as the designated hitter Tuesday.
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Royals' Hunter Renfroe: Steps out of lineup
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Renfroe is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Renfroe is in the midst of a 2-for-21 slump and will sit Tuesday after starting the previous six games. Dairon Blanco will take over in right field and bat seventh.
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Royals' Kyle Isbel: Goes deep off bench
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Isbel went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Isbel's homer was in the ninth inning, but the Royals weren't able to turn it into a rally. The outfielder had gone 0-for-12 across his previous four contests. He's batting .197 with a .533 OPS through 64 plate appearances while adding two homers, five RBI, three stolen bases and five runs scored. Isbel should remain on the strong side of a platoon in center field, with Garrett Hampson seeing most of the playing time versus southpaws.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Garcia went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Garcia is starting to come around at the plate, going 4-for-17 (.235) over his last four contests following a five-game slump. The third baseman has already matched his homer total from last season (four), which took him 123 games to accumulate in 2023. He's added four steals, 15 RBI, 10 runs scored and a .178/.224/.367 slash line over 98 plate appearances so far, but he remains intriguing in fantasy for his speed.
Singer (2-1) allowed five runs on five hits and three walks over six innings Monday, striking out five and taking a loss against Toronto.
After giving up just four runs through his first four starts, Singer stumbled Monday and found himself in the loss column for the first time. He allowed a three-run double to Bo Bichette in the third inning and a two-run shot to Daulton Varsho in the sixth. After fanning 10 batters in his season debut, Singer has produced a lackluster 18:9 K:BB over his last 22.1 frames. Still, he'll carry a 2.76 ERA into his next start, which is projected to be in Detroit this weekend.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Hits bench against southpaw
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Melendez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
With lefty Yusei Kikuchi on the bump for Toronto, the Royals will stock up on some extra right-handed bats. Dairon Blanco and Garrett Hampson will both pick up starts in the outfield while Melendez and fellow lefty-hitting regular Kyle Isbel hit the bench.
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Royals' Kyle Isbel: Sits against left-hander
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Isbel is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
Isbel will stick on the bench for the second game in a row while the Royals oppose a second straight left-handed starting pitcher in Yusei Kikuchi. Garrett Hampson will spell Isbel in center field.
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Royals' Adam Frazier: Losing work to Massey
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Frazier is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
Frazier will take a seat for the third time in four games and looks to have ceded his regular role at second base to Michael Massey, who returned from the 10-day injured list Friday. The 32-year-old gave the Royals little reason to stick with him as an everyday player, as he's slashing just .159/.327/.159 through 55 plate appearances on the season.
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Royals' Jordan Lyles: Likely to miss extended time
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Lyles is likely to be away from the Royals for an extended period of time as he deals with a personal issue, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Lyles was placed on the inactive list over the weekend, and the Royals don't seem prepared to have him back in the bullpen anytime soon. After losing out on a rotation spot coming out of spring training, Lyles had been pitching well in a low-leverage relief role, tossing five scoreless innings through his first five appearances of the season.
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Royals' Anthony Veneziano: Sent to Triple-A
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The Royals optioned Veneziano to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
Veneziano's latest stint with Kansas City lasted just two days, with the left-hander appearing in relief both Saturday and Sunday against the Orioles and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk. The Royals called up right-hander Tyler Duffey from Triple-A to replace Veneziano in the bullpen.
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Royals' Tyler Duffey: Promotion official
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The Royals selected Duffey's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
Kansas City had a spot on its 40-man roster open for Duffey after Jordan Lyles (personal) was placed on the inactive list over the weekend. Duffey, who made just one appearance at the big-league level in 2023 as a member of the Cubs, posted a 3.24 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 8.1 innings across six relief appearances for Omaha this season.
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Royals' Tyler Duffey: Set to join big-league bullpen
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The Royals are expected to call up Duffey from Triple-A Omaha on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Duffey will move up to the majors after compiling a 3.24 ERA and 10:5 K:BB over 8.1 innings with Omaha this season. The 33-year-old made just one appearance in the majors in 2023 and wasn't great with the Twins in 2022, but Duffey holds a career 3.99 ERA and 301:85 K:BB across 284 innings as a reliever at the big-league level.
Lugo (3-1) allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk over 5.1 innings Sunday, striking out one and taking a loss against the Orioles.
Lugo stumbled in the third inning when he allowed back-to-back homers to Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg. The Orioles later put two more runs on Lugo's line in the sixth. It was his shortest outing of the season and his lowest strikeout total. He'd given up just three earned runs through 25.2 innings prior to Sunday's hiccup. Lugo still owns a terrific 2.03 ERA across five starts. He's projected to take the mound in Detroit for his next appearance.
Royals' Carlos Hernandez: Nearing rehab assignment
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Hernandez (shoulder) is expected to begin a rehab assignment later this week, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Hernandez has been throwing since mid-March and is now nearly ready for game action. Given how long he's been out, he'll likely need a handful of rehab outings to get up to speed. Hernandez figures to enter the high-leverage mix fairly quickly once he's healthy, as the Royals' top late-inning options have ranged from fine (James McArthur, John Schreiber) to awful (Will Smith) early in the season.
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Royals' Jake Brentz: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Brentz (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
Brentz has missed over a month with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which follows Tommy John surgery in 2022 and a lat strain in 2023. Given the long layoff, the Royals are likely to ease Brentz back into action, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Pitchers can spend 30 days on a rehab assignment, so it's unlikely he's back in the majors until mid-May at the earliest.
